Thursday, May 6, 2010

Shirlexia, the swimmer?

Just FYI, my deardo is a part-time swimming coach. At the moment he teaches swimming every weekends and his students would includes both adults and kids, and recently, me.

I actually learned swimming when I was a kid back in Taiping, but quit as soon as I grew to become shy to wear swimming suit in front of people. And not that most of you don't know, back in my secondary school days, people around me always laugh at me because I don't swim at all but my biggest idol is a Malaysian athlete, a swimmer by the name of Alex Lim Keng Liat...Lim Keng Liat was a world class backstroker (I know there is no such word...)! A coach for the Sabah team now, he was one of the torch runner for the Beijing Olympic Games in KL.Just a short intro, Alex is by far the best Malaysian swimmer the country has ever produced. Standing at only 170cm, he is the first and still the only Malaysian swimmer to win an Asian Games gold medal, a Commonwealth Games silver medal and the first and only Malaysian so far to make it into a final of the World Championship... Oh man, after so many years, whenever I talk about him, I still feel the pride man!Shirlexia with her biggest idol back then! So yea, I didn't even thought of going back to learn swimming even though I was probably the biggest fan of a national swimmer. Even when my deardo first said he is so going to teach me how to swim, I refused with tears in my eyes! Really have no idea why I had to be so scared, not that I'm phobia of water or whatever. Ish...But then after a first time at the pool with him, I decided that I am going to learn swimming from then on!Although it was a bit demoralizing at the beginning, but when I finally got it, it all became so fun! You see, I go to gym quite regularly, most of the time for classes like Zumba and cycling. But I think swimming gives me the most satisfaction. It sometimes made me so exhausted and had made my abs became harder now that it is building some muscle, this is what I still haven't get to see from my over 4 years of gym sessions! And guess what, it cures my back pain too. It's like MAGIC! Shirlexia in action! Don't ask me why all the pics are only showing such a small piece of me, ask the photographer!According to about.com, swimming doesn't burn as much calories as land exercises (I'm very sad... Hahaha), but it works out almost your entire body, be it muscle, heart or lungs. So minus the fact that it is not the best way to burn calories, swimming does a good deal for toning up your body and for a good health! I can't wait to say goodbye to the bye-bye meat on my triceps!!!I've only learned the breaststroke, more to come! All I would say is, I'm enjoying it so much that when both deardo and I weren't working, I swam like 4 or 5 times a week!It's never too old to learn anything people! :)